Man justified in fatal Christmas Eve stabbing, prosecutor says

Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse man accused of fatally stabbing another man during a disturbance early Christmas Eve was justified in his actions, the prosecutor said today.

Assistant District Attorney Melinda McGunnigle said a grand jury reached that conclusion in assessing the evidence against Nikeem Brown in the death of Sherman Jackson.

Brown, 20, of 738 W. Onondaga St., had been charged with first-degree manslaughter as he recuperated in Upstate University Hospital from a gunshot wound he suffered in the Dec. 24 disturbance in the 200 block of South Alvord Street.

A grand jury today indicted Brown only on a single misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon in the fatal stabbing.

The same grand jury indicted three other men on felony assault and weapons charges in the disturbance.

Christopher Mike, 26, of 929 S. Townsend St., is accused of seriously injuring Brown by shooting him during the incident. Mike is facing charges of first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The other two men - whose names are blacked out in the indictment because they have not yet formally been charged in the incident - are charged with acting together to seriously injure Mike by shooting him.

They are both charged with first-degree assault and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

According to McGunnigle, Jackson and Mike were together when Brown was shot by Mike and Jackson was stabbed by Brown. Jackson was not armed with any weapon but the grand jury was given instructions to consider that Brown was justified in defending himself, the prosecutor said.

The two accused of shooting Mike were part of a third faction involved in the violent dispute, McGunnigle said.

McGunnigle declined comment today on the order in which the stabbing and shootings took place during the disturbance.

But one of the weapons involved in the shooting of Mike was recovered Jan. 12 when Jahari Jones, 18, of 115 S. Alvord St., was arrested with the weapon, McGunnigle said.

Authorities said the weapon Mike was accused of possessing, a .22-caliber handgun, was found in an abandoned house after Mike was found on the porch of a home in the 500 block of Highland Street shortly after the Dec. 24 shootings.